The world has grown to a phase where technology is almost inseparable from human lives. There are many game changers in the field of technology whose innovative ideas and leadership skills have accelerated this growth. As the world embraces the emerging technologies, these great visionaries have a lot to impart to the new generation who would be the best beneficiaries of these technological advances. Learn the lessons of leadership from these technology stalwarts:
1. Bill Gates
A true game changer in the field of technology, Bill Gates has always stood out in the crowd with his talent and great passion. He proved that formal education or a graduation is not the only way out and the man who is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people says that we need to heed the lessons of failure and it can teach you resiliency. He lectures on how the business should be run and what needs to be learned from customer feedbacks and states, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." For him, leadership is not just about control, it's about trusting others. The unpredictable character of business might lead to a situation where you end up working for your secretary and Bill Gates puts it this way, "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."
2. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apple defined a generation with his accomplishments and innovative ideas. He is a true visionary who restructured the wor
ld of computer hardware and software industry with his legendary products such as Macintosh computer, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. "Innovation has no limits," he asserts that the only limit is your imagination. He advises the youngsters to think out of the box by being the yardstick of quality. There is no shortcut to excellence and its only absolute commitment that can take you there. "Love what you do and if you haven't found it yet, keep looking, don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it," says the great leader.
3. Michael Dell
He is the man who invested his earnings from part-time jobs in stocks when he was in his early teens and today, Michael Saul Dell is one of the richest people in the world. He found
Dell in 1984 with $1,000 and an idea to build relationships directly with computer buyers. For Michel Dell, 'failing' is the first rule to keep an edge and he says "When you get a business that changes very quickly, you get some of that naturally. If you want to stay successful, be willing to take risks and change."
4. Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt has been running the show at Google, the internet giant whose stock price has gone from $85 to $581 ever since it went public in 2004. He values the worth of innovat
ive ideas and that is the most significant management lesson he preaches. Being the CEO of the world internet leader, Eric Schmidt was keen on providing adequate room for the Googlers to throw out their ideas and he says "One of our not-so-secret weapons is our ideas mailing list: a company wide suggestion box where people can post ideas ranging from parking procedures to the next killer app." He also says that the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur should be that "he is going to do it whether you give him permission or not."
5. Larry Ellison
The man who races sailboats, flies planes, and plays tennis and guitar, Larry Ellison, is ranked one of the best CEOs in the world, who runs a business empire that employs more t
han 105,000 people worldwide. Known to be a great innovator, Ellison says follow your instinct and develop a clear vision and stick to it. He advises the young breed of entrepreneurs to be 'shrewd' and keep the team on its 'toes'. Larry is known to be very careful when it comes to talent acquisition and he selects new programmers and salespeople who are action oriented and he advises the CIOs to do so to keep the stride of success everlasting.
6. Mark Zuckerberg
World's youngest billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg redefined the concept of social networking with his highly innovative and revolutionary website Facebook. Zuckerberg has been named the
Person of the Year in 2010 by the Times magazine. He could identify the area where he could make his innovation successful and it was the inherent human need for interaction that he targeted. He created a venue for them to come together and connect each other without spending any money. He advises the young minds to be open to changes without losing the focus from their goals. Flexibility and willingness are his strengths with which he has been able to change his products to cater the customer demands. He says, "Embrace the developing and emerging technologies and make the best use of them." Zuckerberg was quick to identify the new trends and he kept his business policy well-balanced to adapt to changes. Stick with what you know and do not push something you do not know - this is the best lesson that Zuckerberg's success story teaches us.
